Combination curtain and tie-back bracket



June 25, 1957 A. F. WOODWARD COMBINATION CURTAIN AND TIE-BACK BRACKET Filed Dec. 19, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

CONEINATION CURTAIN AND TIE-BACK BRACKET Ann F. Woodward, Bayside, N. Y.

Application December 19, 1952, Serial No. 326,903

Claims. 01. 160-19) This invention relates to curtain brackets and more particularly to a combination curtain and tie-back bracket.

In conventional casement windows now in use, it is customary to enclose the inner side of the window with a Venetian blind, surrounded at the top of the window by a cornice.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel means whereby curtains may be supported in front of these Venetian blinds whereby to render the blinds substantially invisible when in a raised or inoperative position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide curtain supporting means of the above type which includes a downwardly extending bracket adapted to support the curtain tie-backs in a novel manner, eliminating the need for hammering nails into the casement or screwing hooks into the casement window, as is currently done, thereby avoiding damage to the casement window and effecting an economy of time for the housewife.

It is another object of. the present invention to provide a bracket of the above type integrally formed with vertically spaced hooks adapted to be outwardly bent to receive the curtain tie-backs in a plurality of vertically adjustable positions.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bracket of the above type wherein the tie-back anchoring hooks can be easily located very close to the window frame.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a combination curtain and tie-back bracket adapted to be secured to the top of the window to support curtains in spaced relation to the window so as to enclose a Venetian blind and including downwardly extending tie-back elements adapted to support the curtain tie-backs in a plurality of vertically adjustable positions.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide curtain-supporting means of the above type which includes a downwardly extending bracket having a vertically sliding member adapted to be releasably locked in a plurality of vertically adjustable positions, said sliding member carrying a hook adapted to anchor the curtain tie-backs.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide combination curtain and tie-back brackets bearing the above objects in mind which are of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, have a minimum number of parts, are compact, pleasing in appearance, easy to install and efficient in use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of curtain supporting and tie-back means embodying the features of the present invention and shown in operative use upon a casement window having Venetian blinds supported thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the tie-back bracket shown in Fig. 1 before outward bending of the integrally formed hooks;

States Patent "ice 2 Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective viewof a portion of the bracket shown in Fig. 2 and showing one. of the integrally formed, curtain tie-back supporting hooks outwardly bent to the operative position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofa modified form of the.

present invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of a portion of the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a still further. modified form. of the present invention.

Referringmore in detail to the drawing, in which similar. reference numerals identify corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in Fig. 1 a casement window, referred to collectively as 19, and

including Venetian blinds 20 supported at the top of the.

window by means, of a rectangular box 21, all in conventional manner. a

A three-sided, rectangular cornice consisting of a front wall 22 and endwalls 23 is suitably mounted above the window 19 so as to enclose the box 21, substantially as illustrated;

A curtain-supporting rod 24 is mounted within the.

cornice behind front wall 22 thereof and in frontv of box 21 by means of brackets 25 and 26 secured to the inside of end walls 23 by means of screws 27, the bracket 26 fixedly carrying a hollow, cylindrical projection 28. slidably receiving the end' of rod 24 while the bracket 25 is provided with an internally threaded opening 29 releasably receiving the externally threadedend of a ho Ilow, cylindrical projection 30, the latter slidably receiving the other end of rod 24.

Curtains 31 are. supported on the rod 24 and extend downwardly in front of Venetian blinds 20, substantially as illustrated, whereby to render the latter substantially invisible when in the raised or inoperative position.

A pair of curtain tie-back rods, referred to collectively as 10; are provided and consist of a downwardly extending, substantially vertical portion 16 integrally formed at the top end thereof with forked arms 11 and 12, substantially as illustrated;

The arms 11 and 12. are provided with openings 13 and 14, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2, permitting the mounting of the tie-back brackets 10 on the inner faces ofeach end wall 23 by means of screws 32, substantially as illustrated" in Fig. 1.

It will be noted that the lower portions of arms 11 and 12 and vertical portion-16' extend. downwardly alongside and parallel to-the ends of blinds 20 with the rear edge of vertical portion 16 adjacent the wall surrounding window 19.

The tie-back brackets 10 may, of course, be formed of separable parts spot-welded or joined along the dotted line 15 of Fig. 2.

The lower portion of bracket 10 is provided with vertically spaced pairs of slits 33 and 34 extending inwardly from the rear edge of vertical portion 16 and providing flaps 17 and 18 adapted to be outwardly bent, as shown inFig. l, whereby'to provide hook-like members adapted to support the curtain tie-backs 35, substantially as illustrated.

It will be noted that the curtains 31 and tie-backs 35 extend rearwardly of brackets 10 on the outer sides there of remote from window 19, thereby rendering both the ends of blinds 20 and the brackets 10 themselves substantially invisible.

Therefore, the only parts of the present construction normally visible to the observer are the cornice and the curtains, the blinds being visible only when in a lowered or operative position.

It will also be noted that the above construction permits the removal of curtains 31, rod 24' and associated parts, and brackets 10 as a unit when the end walls 23 of the cornice are disconnected from the window.

Since the cornice and curtains are the only parts of the. present construction normally visible to the observer, it is obvious that there has been provided pleasing means for supporting the curtains so as to render the blinds Z invisible when in a raised position, as well as invisible means for supporting the curtain tie-backs without the necessary of driving unsightly nails or screws into the casement window, the entire construction being removable as a unit thereby effecting an economy of time when installing and removing.

. The brackets may be stamped from suitable metal with the flaps 17 and 18 preformed, thereby permitting their fabrication at a relatively low cost per unit to the manufacturer, and ultimately, the consumer. They may, of course, be sold separately or in combination with the cornice and self-contained curtain rods.

It will be noted that the position of the vertical portions 16 adjacent the wall surrounding window 19 and the relative location thereon of flaps 17. and 18 permits the tie-backs to be anchored as close to the wall as is normally the case with conventional hooks and nails driven into the wall.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, there is shown a modified form of the present invention including a pair of U-shaped brackets 36, the rearmost portions 37 of which are provided with openings 38 permitting their mounting above the window 19 by means of screws, not shown, the intermediate portions 39 thereof being integrally formed with downwardly extending arms 40, substantially as illustrated.

The arms 40, as shown in Fig. 5, are formed with inwardly bent vertical edges 41, thereby imparting greater rigidity, and are provided with U-shaped slits 42 providing flaps 43 adapted to be outwardly bent into hooklike members receiving the tie-backs 35 in a manner similar to the flaps 17 and 18 of the first form. While in the drawing I have shown two such flaps vertically spaced apart, it is to be understood that any other number may be provided, thus providing any number of vertically adjustable positions'for the tie-backs 35.

A sliding sleeve 44 connects the foremost portions of brackets 36, as shown in Fig. 4, and cooperates therewith to support the curtain 31 in a manner similar to the rod 24 of the first form. The sleeve 44 is slid back onto one of the brackets 36, revealing the space between the ends of the two brackets, and the curtain slid onto the other bracket by means of its usual tunnel, whereupon the sleeve 44 is moved back into the position shown in Fig. 4 and the curtain and tunnel thereof spread across the sleeve 44 and bracket 36 in the usual manner.

The brackets 36, when assembled, provide a rectangular space intermediate portions 37 and sleeve 44 within which the Venetian blind box 21 is mounted, and a curtain supported on said brackets will completely hide the box and blind when the latter is in a raised position. Thus the only part of this construction normally visible to the observer are the curtains 35, which conceal the box 21, brackets 36 and arms 40, as well as blinds 20.

when in a raised position. Here again, it is apparent that by removing the screws, not shown, from openings.

a sleeve 45 fixedly carrying a hook 46 and movable into vertically adjustable positions relative to the portion 16 by means of set-screws 47.

In other respects this form of the invention, is similar to the form shown in Figs. 1-3, and similar reference numerals identify similar parts throughout the several views. i H 7 By loosening set-screw 47, the hook 46 may be raised and lowered as desired to provide an infinite number of anchoring points for the tie-backs 35. This form has the above advantages plus all the advantages of the first form mentioned above.

It should now be apparent that there have been provided means for supporting curtains so as to render the Venetian blind box and blinds substantially invisible when the blinds are in a raised position and which includes a novel bracket means for anchoring the curtain tie-backs close to the Wall without having to drive nails or hooks, this bracket means forming a unit with the curtain supporting means and removable therewith as a unit, and being substantially invisible when the curtains are in place.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a window having a box at the top thereof supporting a Venetian blind, a cornice surrounding the box whereby to render the latter substantially invisible, said cornice having a front wall freely spaced from the box, curtain supporting means carried by the interior of said cornice intermediate said front wall thereof and the box, said cornice having end walls secured to opposite ends of said front wall, and a pair of tie-back brackets, each of said brackets comprising an elongated, substantially vertical portion secured at its upper end to a rear portion of one of said end walls, and a forwardly, upwardly extending arm connected at its lower end to an intermediate portion of said vertical portion and at its upper end to a front portion of one of said end walls, and means carried by the lower portion of said vertical portion for releasably anchoring the curtain tie-backs in a plurality of vertically adjustable positions.

2. A construction according to claim 1, said means for releasably anchoring the curtain tie-backs comprising vertically spaced pairs of slits extending inwardly from the rear edge of said vertical portion and providing a plurality of flaps adapted to be outwardly bent, the uppermost of each of said slits having an upwardly curved portion adjacent the rear edge of said vertical portion whereby to provide each of said flaps with an upwardly extending lug at the end thereof, the curtain tie-backs being received intermediate said lugs and the said vertical portion.

. 3. A construction according to claim 1, said means for releasably anchoring the curtain tie-backs Comprising a sleeve slidable vertically along said vertical portion, a

substantially hook-shaped member fixedly carried by said sleeve and means for releasably locking said sleeve to said vertical portion.

4. The combination with a cornice containing curtain supporting means of a pair of substantially Y-shaped brackets secured to the end walls of said cornice with the central, elongated portions thereof extending downward ly in a substantially vertical direction, the lower ends oi said vertical'portions having vertically spaced pairs of slits extending inwardly from the rear edges of said vertical portions whereby to provide a plurality of vertically spaced flaps, the uppermost of each, pair of said slits having an upwardly curved portion adjacent the rear edge of said vertical portions whereby to form each of said flaps with an upwardly extending lug at the outer ends thereof, the curtain tie-backs being received intermediate said lugs and the said vertical portions.

.5. The combination with a cornice containing curtain supporting means of a pair of substantially Y-shaped brackets secured to the end walls of said cornice with the central, elongated portions of said brackets extending downwardly in a substantially vertical direction, a sleeve slidable vertically along each of said central portions, a substantially hook-shaped member fixedly carried by each of said sleeves and means for releasably locking each of said sleeves to said vertical portions in vertically adjustable positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Arnold Feb. 20, 1940 Larrison June 18, 1940 Pratt Jan. 21, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1902 Great Britain 1908 

